North Shore Rescue says bystanders ‘saved young man’s life’ in near-drowning incident

Search crews are praising the actions of three Good Samaritans who jumped into action to save a swimmer from drowning at a West Vancouver lake over the weekend.

Search-and-rescue crews are praising the actions of three bystanders who reportedly saved a man from drowning Tuesday in the West Vancouver backcountry.

North Shore Rescue says it was dispatched to a possible drowning at Cabin Lake in Cypress Provincial Park, the same lake where a 29-year-old man drowned while swimming with his fiancée just two weeks earlier.

• Read more: Man, 29, drowns while swimming with fiancée in B.C. lake

The volunteer rescue group says its members arrived by helicopter Tuesday evening to find the swimmer had already been rescued from the water.

“(The) swimmer began to have trouble and was going under the water when three bystanders jumped in and saved this person’s life,” North Shore Rescue said in a statement on social media.

The man was assessed at the scene by the rescuers, including one who is an emergency room doctor.

“Due to the issues surrounding the near-drowning, the subject could not hike out,” the statement said.

The swimmer was hoisted out of the area by helicopter and brought back to the parking lot to be transported to the hospital.

“We would like to commend and thank the three bystanders who jumped in and pulled him to safety,” North Shore Rescue said.

“The actions these people took saved this young man’s life.”